Israel Ministry of Health

About: Israel Ministry of Health is a government organization based out in Jerusalem, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Public health. The organization has 1633 authors who have published 2108 publications receiving 65387 citations.

Impaired cerebral CO2 vasoreactivity: association with endothelial dysfunction

Abstract: Conflicting data exist on the role of nitric oxide (NO) in cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation. Previous studies involving human and animal subjects seem to indicate that NO involvement is lim...

Acute maternal stress in pregnancy and schizophrenia in offspring: A cohort prospective study

Abstract: Schizophrenia has been linked with intrauterine exposure to maternal stress due to bereavement, famine and major disasters. Recent evidence suggests that human vulnerability may be greatest in the first trimester of gestation and rodent experiments suggest sex specificity. We aimed to describe the consequence of an acute maternal stress, through a follow-up of offspring whose mothers were pregnant during the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. A priori, we focused on gestational month and offspring's sex. In a pilot study linking birth records to Israel's Psychiatric Registry, we analyzed data from a cohort of 88,829 born in Jerusalem in 1964–76. Proportional hazards models were used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of schizophrenia, according to month of birth, gender and other variables, while controlling for father's age and other potential confounders. Other causes of hospitalized psychiatric morbidity (grouped together) were analyzed for comparison. There was a raised incidence of schizophrenia for those who were in the second month of fetal life in June 1967 (RR = 2.3, 1.1–4.7), seen more in females (4.3, 1.7–10.7) than in males (1.2, 0.4–3.8). Results were not explained by secular or seasonal variations, altered birth weight or gestational age. For other conditions, RRs were increased in offspring who had been in the third month of fetal life in June 1967 (2.5, 1.2–5.2), also seen more in females (3.6, 1.3–9.7) than males (1.8, 0.6–5.2). These findings add to a growing literature, in experimental animals and humans, attributing long term consequences for offspring of maternal gestational stress. They suggest both a sex-specificity and a relatively short gestational time-window for gestational effects on vulnerability to schizophrenia.

Monozygotic twinning after assisted reproductive techniques: a phenomenon independent of micromanipulation

Abstract: A 3 year retrospective analysis was conducted of pregnancies achieved after various assisted reproductive treatment modalities in our infertility practice, to calculate and compare the rates of monozygotic twinning (MZT). A total of 731 pregnancies achieved after various assisted reproduction treatments were reviewed. Gonadotrophin therapy for induction of ovulation and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) yielded 129 clinical pregnancies. Conventional IVF yielded 139 pregnancies. IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with or without assisted hatching (AH) yielded 463 pregnancies, all during the same time period. The rates of multiple pregnancy (monozygotic and dizygotic) twins and triplets were recorded. MZT was found in 1.5% of ovulation induction or COH pregnancies (2/129). The incidence of MZT after conventional IVF was 0.72% (1/139). After IVF-ICSI/AH, MZT was found in 0.86% (4/463). The overall rate of MZT was 0.95% (7/731). Five cases were dizygotic triplets and two cases were monozygotic twins. We found the rate of MZT after assisted reproduction treatment increased more than two-fold over the background rate in the general population. Dizygotic triplets were found more often than monozygotic twins. The rate of MZT was consistently increased, irrespective of treatment modality or micromanipulation. This may signify that the aetiology of increased MZT after assisted reproduction is the gonadotrophin treatment rather than in-vitro conditions, micromanipulation, or multiple embryo transfer.

Identification of New Drinking Water Disinfection by - Products from Ozone, Chlorine Dioxide, Chloramine, and Chlorine

Abstract: Many drinking water treatment plants are currently using alternative disinfectants to treat drinking water, with ozone, chlorine dioxide, and chloramine being the most popular However, compared to chlorine, which has been much more widely studied, there is little information about the disinfection by-products (DBPs) that these alternative disinfectants produce Thus, it is not known if the DBPs from alternative disinfectants are safer or more hazardous than those formed by chlorine To answer this question, we have set out to comprehensively identify DBPs formed by these alternative disinfectants, as well as by chlorine The results presented here represent a compilation of the last 8 years of our research in identifying new DBPs from ozone, chlorine dioxide, chloramine, and chlorine We also include results from recent studies of Israel drinking water disinfected with both chlorine dioxide and chloramine Over 200 DBPs were identified, many of which have never been reported In comparing by-products formed by the different disinfectants, ozone, chlorine dioxide, and chloramine formed fewer halogenated DBPs than chlorine